11:10 AM,
Mar. 31, 2013

Tom Duax, owner of Central City Liquors, is angry that the state and Des Moines have allowed so many questionable mom-and-pop liquor stores to proliferate. Duax said he suspects a nearby store sells synthetic drugs, a claim the owners strongly deny.

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Tom Duax pulls no punches when he talks about his competitor across Second Avenue in Des Moines - or others that have sprouted up in his scrappy neighborhood.

The owner of Central City Liquors and his employees say the competitor, Nat's Food Mart, opens at 6 a.m. to a steady stream of ne'er-do-wells who are looking to buy cheap booze and, they suspect, those synthetic products people smoke.